Sad News – Vic Simpson –

It is with sadness we have to report that Vic Simpson BVSc, DTVM, CBiol, FIBiol, MRCVS, died this week on 31st July.

Vic, a very distinguished veterinary pathologist, examined nearly 700 otters, amongst these were otters sent to him by the Somerset Otter Group up until 2007. Vic was the first to discover many diseases in wildlife, he identified the first fluke, Pseudamphistomum Truncatum, in a British otter from an otter on the Somerset levels in 2004, writing a joint paper on the fluke with his friend James Williams. An otter cub submitted from Skye was found with unusual lesions and was found to have died from Tyzzer’s disease.

Vic retired in 2001 and set up the Wildlife Veterinary Investigation Centre in Cornwall. The laboratory assessed the impact of environmental changes, chemicals and non-native species on indigenous wildlife.

His contribution to research was immense, a fuller tribute will follow in our next Newslotter and on this website.